Playing with the Big Kids :-)

First Tuesday training session today and I absolutely loved it!

It was great to be able to skate with not only the Carbons, but some of the Irons and Steels, and TIL fellas too. I look forward to spending more time skating with these rollerpeeps, I find it an excellent way to learn when you're around people that are better than you, a little bit of inspiration.

Hopefully with time, everything will become second nature and I wont have to think to force myself to do things. Now that I have practice 2-4 times a week it wont take me too long to pick it all up. Slowly but surely, my derby stops are just happening rather than me forcing them to happen. I'm still over thinking on my plows and t-stops, I embarrass myself at how shocking they are :-( We practiced doing derby starts, which I have tried once or twice before and failed miserably at. I did an inner 'humph' when we were told to start practicing, but I actually really surprised myself at doing them quite well. Not bad for a newbie :-D We also practiced some wall techniques which is a new one on me, but I seemed to pick them up quite fast. Really enjoyed blocking the jammers coming through. Mel and I perfected the 'bony bum' wall, aint nobody getting through that! After that little drill I now realise there is LOADS to have to think about whilst playing derby! Just simple things like stepping, keeping moving, looking, shouting, turning, not grabbing, pushing, skating, stopping, starting, blocking, the list could quite possibly be endless.

At the end of the session everyone went in for a scrimmage, but seeing as I'm still yet to learn contact stuff, Mallory and Maid took me to one side and showed me some hits. We did full body checks and hits, starting with just lateralling in and leaning. Once I'd practiced that back and forth a few times, I had to go in for some hits. A good bit of advice Mal gave me was to stop over thinking. This is so true. I found that when I thought too much about going in, I either chickened out, or messed up. I think I managed to get some good hits in there though, and could have quite happily gone on practicing but we only managed about 10 minutes before we were kicked out, but they were a worthwhile 10.

I was about to say I'm looking forward to Sundays practice, but it's cancelled . . . NOOOOOOOOOO! Looks like I'm going to have to make the most of Chesterfield practice and Thursdays Skate Central visit instead :-) Efforts levels at 100% ! ! !